Man Pleads Guilty In 2019 Drug Death Of Toms River Man: Prosecutor

GALLOWAY, NJ — A Galloway man has pleaded guilty to dealing the drugs that killed a Toms River man in 2019, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

Shemar Jackson, 22, pleaded guilty to strict liability drug induced death on Aug. 22, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Jackson is set to be sentenced on Oct. 14, Billhimer said. The State will be recommending a sentence of seven years in New Jersey State Prison subject to the No Early Release Act, he said.

On Dec. 5, 2019, Toms River police responded to a report of a non-responsive 22-year-old man, Billhimer said.

When police arrived to the residence, the man was already dead from an apparent drug overdose, Billhimer said.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force, and Toms River Township Police Department investigated and found that Jackson had supplied the man with heroin and fentanyl the day before his death, Billhimer said. A lab analysis confirmed that heroin and fentanyl were in the man's system and caused his death, Billhimer said.

Jackson was arrested on Jan. 23, 2020, in his Galloway home by Galloway police and the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, Billhimer said. He was taken to Ocean County Jail and then released due to New Jersey Bail Reform, he said.